Half to b



, UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WESLEY HOUSTON BASHAM, OF eLEn EosE, TEXAs, AssioNon or one (HALF To B. E. MILAM, OF SAME PLACE.

COMBINED COTTON' CHOPPER AND SCRAPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 349,076, dated September 14, 1886. Application filed April (i, 1986. Serial No.197,!lT-'l. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WEsLEY HOUSTON BASHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glen Rose, in the county of Sommerville and State of Texas, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Combined Cotton Choppers and Scrapers, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to an improvement in combined cotton choppers and scrapers; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices, that will be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is aside elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation.

A represents a-rectangular frame, which is composed of the parallel longitudinal side beams, B, and the bars 0, D, and E, which connect the said beams. The bar connects the front end of the beams B. The bar D is arranged at a suitable distance from the rear end of the said beams, and the bar E connects the extreme rear ends of the beams B.

From the under sides of the beams B, near the front ends thereof, depend a pair of bearing-blocks, F, in which is journaled a transverse shaft, G,which carries suitable supporting-wheels, H, at its extremities on the outer sides of the beams B. To the center of the shaft G is keyed a sprocket-wheel, I.

K represents a transverse shaft, which is 3 jonrnaled in bearing-blocks L, that are secured on the upper sides of the beams B at a suitable distance in rear of the shaft 0, and the said shaft K is provided at its extremities with crank-arms K, and to the center of the said shaft is keyed a sprocket-wheel, N,which is of less diameter than the wheel I, and is connected thereto by an endless sprocket-chain, N.

On the under sides of the beams B,at a suitable distance from the rear ends thereof, is secured a pair of standards, 0, to thelowerends of which are attached cultivating or scraping plow-shovels 1?, the mold-boards of which extend in opposite directions, and the landsides of the said shovels being opposed to each other. The standards 0 have their front ends pivot- .ed to the beams by bolts It, and are provided at a suit-able distance from the said bolts R with a series of openings, S, which are arranged laterally in the standards 0, and through one of the said openings of each standard passesa bolt, T,which enters the under side of one of the beams, and thereby secures the standard firmly thereto. By providing the standards with thelaterally-arranged series of openings S the said standards may be laterally adjusted on the beams B, so as to cause their shovels to work at any desired distance apart, according to the width of the row.

U represents a pair of handles, similar to plow-handles, which are attached near the rear ends of the beams B, and the said handles are connected together by transverse parallel bars a and a". The bar a is arranged over the rear end of the beams B, and is provided with depending standards or arms u'flwhich extend to the upper sides of the said beams.

V represents apair of combined beams and standards, the front ends of which are pivoted to the crossbar D, the said beams being arranged between the beams B.

To the sides of the beams V are attached fiat outwardly-extending bearing-springs c, the outerrear ends of which bear against the de pending arms 26", and thereby serve to keep the beams V normally pressed together midway between the beams B.

To the lower ends of the standards V are attached choppers or shovels c.

On the rear side of the bar a is fulcrumed a lever, W, the lower end of which is provided with a foot or earn,W,whichis wedge-shaped, having inclined sides which converge to a point at the front end of the said foot or cam, which latter is adapted'to enter between the standards V and press them apart to any desired distance when the upper end of the lever W is drawn rearwardly. Curved gnideways to connect the bars a and a, and the upper end of the lever WV passes between the said curved bars and is guided thereby, the function of the said ways or bars being to keep the lever in a vertical position at all times.

X represents apair of rock-shafts,whichare vertically journaled on the outer side of the beams B, and have their upper ends bent at right angles and extending horizontally'from the sides of the beams B, and normally at right ICU angles thereto, forming arms X. The lower ends of the rockshafts are bent rearwardly to form horizontal arms X. The arms X are connected to the beams V by means of links Y, and thearms X are connected to the crank-arms K of the shaft K by means of rods Y.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The machine is drawn along therow of cottonplants with one of theplows 1? running on each side of thesaid row. As the machine advances the rotation of the driving-wheels causes the shaft K to rotate, thereby actuating the rockshafts X, and causing the standards V to be moved outwardly against the resistance of the springs 2) during half arotation of theshaft K. The pitman-rods which connect the cranks of the shaft K with the armsXof the rock-shafts X have their rear ends passed through openings or eyes at the outer ends of the arms X of the rook-shafts, the said pitmen having heads on their rear ends,which engage with the said eyes of the arms of the rock-shafts, and move the latter forwardly during half a revolution theshaft K,as before described. 011 the reverse movement of the pitman-rods during the remaining half of the revolution of the shaft K, the springs o are enabled to bear with their full force against the standards V, thus causing the said standards to be thrown or moved violently toward each other, and enablingthe chopping-plows attached to said standards to cut out and thereby thin the. cotton-plants which may happen to be between them. \V hen the lever W is moved so as to cause the wedgeshaped foot or cam to be inserted between the opposing sides of the standards V, the latterare forced apart to any suitable extent, and prevented from being moved inwardly, thereby enabling the operation of chopping out the plants to be discontinued when desirable.

\Yhile the chopping hoes or shovels are in operation to thin the plants,theplows l,whieh run on opposite sides of the rows, thoroughly cultivate them.

By removing the sprocket-wheel X from the shaft K, and substituting another wheel of greater or less diameter therefor, the distance between the stands of plants left by the machine may be regulated at will.

Having thus described my invention, l claim 1. The combination, in a COilbOll-Cil01)1)0l,0f the frame A, the arms or standards V, pivoted to the said frame and carrying the chopping hoes or plows, the rock-shafts X, having the arms X", con neeted to thestandards or arms 'V, and the arms X, and the rotating crank-shaft K, connected to the arms X, whereby the standards or arms V will be caused to alternately approach andrecede from each other as the machine advances, substantially as described.

2. The combinationof thepivotcd vibrating arms or standards V, carrying the chopping hoes or plows, the springs for normally pressing the said arms or standards together, and means for moving them apart as the machine advances against the pressure of the springs, and the pivoted lever XV, having the wedgeshaped foot or cam adapted to be inserted between the arms orstandards V, for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I havehereto affixed my signatn re in presence of two witnesses.

\VESLEY IIO USTO X \V i t nesses:

l). L. UARMUIIA 121., .T. A. 'KINoAm. 

